Identification of genomic regions related to age at first calving and first calving interval in water buffalo using single-step GBLUP.

In Brazil, water buffaloes have been used to produce milk for mozzarella cheese production. Consequently, the main selection criterion applied for the buffalo genetic improvement is the estimated mozzarella yield as a function of milk, fat and protein production. However, given the importance of reproductive traits in production systems, this study aimed to use techniques for identifying genomic regions that affect the age at first calving (AFC) and first calving interval (FCI) in buffalo cows and to select candidate genes for the identification of QTL and gene expression studies. The single-step GBLUP method was used for the identification of genomic regions. Windows of 1 Mb containing single-nucleotide polymorphisms were constructed and the 10 windows that explained the greatest proportion of genetic variance were considered candidate regions for each trait. Genes present into the selected windows were identified using the UOA_WB_1 assembly as the reference, and their ontology was defined with the Panther tool. Candidate regions for both traits were identified on BBU 3, 12, 21 and 22; for AFC, candidates were detected on BBU 6, 7, 8, 9 and 15 and for first calving interval on BBU 4, 14 and 19. This study identified regions with great contribution to the additive genetic variance of age at first calving and first calving interval in the population of buffalo cows studied. The ROCK2, PMVK, ADCY2, MAP2K6, BMP10 and GFPT1 genes are main candidates for reproductive traits in water dairy buffaloes, and these results may have future applications in animal breeding programs or in gene expression studies of the species.

Genome Association Study for Visual Scores in Nellore Cattle Measured at Weaning.

BACKGROUND: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are utilized in cattle to identify regions or genetic variants associated with phenotypes of interest, and thus, to identify design strategies that allow for the increase of the frequency of favorable alleles. Visual scores are important traits of cattle production in Brazil because they are utilized as selection criteria, helping to choose more harmonious animals. Despite its importance, there are still no studies on the genome association for these traits. This study aimed to identify genome regions associated with the traits of conformation, precocity and muscling, based on a visual score measured at weaning. RESULTS: Bayesian approaches with BayesC and Bayesian LASSO were utilized with 2873 phenotypes of Nellore cattle for a GWAS. The animals were genotyped with Illumina BovineHD BeadChip, and a total of 309,865 SNPs were utilized after quality control. In the analyses, phenotype and deregressed breeding values were utilized as dependent variables; a threshold model was utilized for the former and a linear model for the latter. The association criterion was the percentage of genetic variance explained by SNPs found in 1 Mb-long windows. The Bayesian approach BayesC was better adjusted to the data because it could explain a larger phenotypic variance for both dependent variables. CONCLUSIONS: There were no large effects for the visual scores, indicating that they have a polygenic nature; however, regions in chromosomes 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20 and 23 were identified and explained a large part of the genetic variance.

Genomic association for sexual precocity in beef heifers using pre-selection of genes and haplotype reconstruction.

Reproductive traits are of the utmost importance for any livestock farming, but are difficult to measure and to interpret since they are influenced by various factors. The objective of this study was to detect associations between known polymorphisms in candidate genes related to sexual precocity in Nellore heifers, which could be used in breeding programs. Records of 1,689 precocious and non-precocious heifers from farms participating in the Conexão Delta G breeding program were analyzed. A subset of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) located in the region of the candidate genes at a distance of up to 5 kb from the boundaries of each gene, were selected from the panel of 777,000 SNPs of the High-Density Bovine SNP BeadChip. Linear mixed models were used for statistical analysis of early heifer pregnancy, relating the trait with isolated SNPs or with haplotype groups. The model included the contemporary group (year and month of birth) as fixed effect and parent of the animal (sire effect) as random effect. The fastPHASE® and GenomeStudio® were used for reconstruction of the haplotypes and for analysis of linkage disequilibrium based on r2 statistics. A total of 125 candidate genes and 2,024 SNPs forming haplotypes were analyzed. Statistical analysis after Bonferroni correction showed that nine haplotypes exerted a significant effect (p<0.05) on sexual precocity. Four of these haplotypes were located in the Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A2 gene (PAPP-A2), two in the Estrogen-related receptor gamma gene (ESRRG), and one each in the Pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A gene (PAPP-A), Kell blood group complex subunit-related family (XKR4) and mannose-binding lectin genes (MBL-1) genes. Although the present results indicate that the PAPP-A2, PAPP-A, XKR4, MBL-1 and ESRRG genes influence sexual precocity in Nellore heifers, further studies are needed to evaluate their possible use in breeding programs.

Genomic analysis of stayability in Nellore cattle.

Stayability, which can be defined as the probability of a cow calving at a certain age when given the opportunity, is an important reproductive trait in beef cattle because it is directly related to herd profitability. The objective of this study was to estimate genetic parameters and to identify possible genomic regions associated with the phenotypic expression of stayability in Nellore cows. The variance components were estimated by Bayesian inference using a threshold animal model that included the systematic effects of contemporary group and sexual precocity and the random effects of animal and residual. The SNP effects were estimated by the single-step genomic BLUP method using information of 2,838 animals (2,020 females and 930 sires) genotyped with the Illumina High-Density BeadChip Array (San Diego, CA, USA). The variance explained by windows formed by 200 consecutive SNPs was used to identify genomic regions of largest effect on the expression of stayability. The heritability was 0.11 ± 0.01 when A matrix (pedigree) was used and 0.14 ± 0.01 when H matrix (relationship matrix that combines pedigree information and SNP data) was used. A total of 147 candidate genes for stayability were identified on chromosomes 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 and 20 and on the X chromosome. New candidate regions for stayability were detected, most of them related to reproductive, immunological and central nervous system functions.

Genome-Wide Association Study of Meat Quality Traits in Nellore Cattle.

The objective of this study was to identify genomic regions that are associated with meat quality traits in the Nellore breed. Nellore steers were finished in feedlots and slaughtered at a commercial slaughterhouse. This analysis included 1,822 phenotypic records of tenderness and 1,873 marbling records. After quality control, 1,630 animals genotyped for tenderness, 1,633 animals genotyped for marbling, and 369,722 SNPs remained. The results are reported as the proportion of variance explained by windows of 150 adjacent SNPs. Only windows with largest effects were considered. The genomic regions were located on chromosomes 5, 15, 16 and 25 for marbling and on chromosomes 5, 7, 10, 14 and 21 for tenderness. These windows explained 3,89% and 3,80% of the additive genetic variance for marbling and tenderness, respectively. The genes associated with the traits are related to growth, muscle development and lipid metabolism. The study of these genes in Nellore cattle is the first step in the identification of causal mutations that will contribute to the genetic evaluation of the breed.

Assessing the value of phenotypic information from non-genotyped animals for QTL mapping of complex traits in real and simulated populations.

BACKGROUND: QTL mapping through genome-wide association studies (GWAS) is challenging, especially in the case of low heritability complex traits and when few animals possess genotypic and phenotypic information. When most of the phenotypic information is from non-genotyped animals, GWAS can be performed using the weighted single-step GBLUP (WssGBLUP) method, which permits to combine all available information, even that of non-genotyped animals. However, it is not clear to what extent phenotypic information from non-genotyped animals increases the power of QTL detection, and whether factors such as the extent of linkage disequilibrium (LD) in the population and weighting SNPs in WssGBLUP affect the importance of using information from non-genotyped animals in GWAS. These questions were investigated in this study using real and simulated data. RESULTS: Analysis of real data showed that the use of phenotypes of non-genotyped animals affected SNP effect estimates and, consequently, QTL mapping. Despite some coincidence, the most important genomic regions identified by the analyses, either using or ignoring phenotypes of non-genotyped animals, were not the same. The simulation results indicated that the inclusion of all available phenotypic information, even that of non-genotyped animals, tends to improve QTL detection for low heritability complex traits. For populations with low levels of LD, this trend of improvement was less pronounced. Stronger shrinkage on SNPs explaining lower variance was not necessarily associated with better QTL mapping. CONCLUSIONS: The use of phenotypic information from non-genotyped animals in GWAS may improve the ability to detect QTL for low heritability complex traits, especially in populations in which the level of LD is high.

Genomic prediction of breeding values for carcass traits in Nellore cattle.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of genomic predictions for rib eye area (REA), backfat thickness (BFT), and hot carcass weight (HCW) in Nellore beef cattle from Brazilian commercial herds using different prediction models. METHODS: Phenotypic data from 1756 Nellore steers from ten commercial herds in Brazil were used. Animals were offspring of 294 sires and 1546 dams, reared on pasture, feedlot finished, and slaughtered at approximately 2 years of age. All animals were genotyped using a 777k Illumina Bovine HD SNP chip. Accuracy of genomic predictions of breeding values was evaluated by using a 5-fold cross-validation scheme and considering three models: Bayesian ridge regression (BRR), Bayes C (BC) and Bayesian Lasso (BL), and two types of response variables: traditional estimated breeding value (EBV), and phenotype adjusted for fixed effects (Y*). RESULTS: The prediction accuracies achieved with the BRR model were equal to 0.25 (BFT), 0.33 (HCW) and 0.36 (REA) when EBV was used as response variable, and 0.21 (BFT), 0.37 (HCW) and 0.46 (REA) when using Y*. Results obtained with the BC and BL models were similar. Accuracies increased for traits with a higher heritability, and using Y* instead of EBV as response variable resulted in higher accuracy when heritability was higher. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the accuracy of genomic prediction of carcass traits in Nellore cattle is moderate to high. Prediction of genomic breeding values from adjusted phenotypes Y* was more accurate than from EBV, especially for highly heritable traits. The three models considered (BRR, BC and BL) led to similar predictive abilities and, thus, either one could be used to implement genomic prediction for carcass traits in Nellore cattle.

Melatonin in maturation media fails to improve oocyte maturation, embryo development rates and DNA damage of bovine embryos

Melatonin (MEL) acts as a powerful scavenger of free radicals and direct gonadal responses to melatonin have been reported in the literature. Few studies, however, have evaluated the effect of MEL during in vitro maturation (IVM) on bovine embryos. This study tested the addition of MEL to maturation medium (MM) with no gonadotropins on nuclear maturation and embryo development rates and the incidence of DNA damage in resulting embryos. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were aspirated from abattoir ovaries and cultured in MM (TCM-199 medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum - FCS) at 39ºC and 5% CO2 in air. After 24 hours of culture in MM with 0.5 µg mL-1 FSH and 5.0 µg mL-1 LH; 10-9 M MEL) or 10-9 M MEL, 0.5 µg mL-1 FSH and 5.0 µg mL-1 LH, the oocytes were stained with Hoechst 33342 to evaluate nuclear maturation rate. After in vitro fertilization and embryo culture, development rates were evaluated and the blastocysts were assessed for DNA damage by Comet assay. There was no effect of melatonin added to the MM, alone or in combination with gonadotropins, on nuclear maturation, cleavage and blastocyst rates. These rates ranged between 88% to 90%, 85% to 88% and 42% to 46%, respectively. The extent of DNA damage in embryos was also not affected by MEL supplementation during IVM. The addition of 10-9 M MEL to the MM failed to improve nuclear maturation and embryo development rates and the incidence of DNA damage in resulting embryos, but was able to properly substitute for gonadotropins during IVM.

Melatonin (MEL) atua como um potente redutor de radicais livres. Efeito direto da MEL na função gonadal também foi observado. Existem poucos estudos relacionados ao efeito da MEL durante a maturação no desenvolvimento embrionário in vitro. Avaliou-se a adição de MEL no meio de maturação (sem gonadotrofinas) nas taxas de maturação nuclear e de desenvolvimento embrionário e na incidência de fragmentação do DNA nos embriões produzidos in vitro. Complexos cumulus-ovócitos foram aspirados de ovários provenientes de matadouros e cultivados em meio de maturação (Meio TCM-199 suplementado com 10% de soro fetal bovino) a 39ºC e 5% CO2 em ar. Após 24 horas de cultivo em meio de maturação com 0,5 µg mL-1 de FSH e 5,0 µg mL-1 de LH; 10-9 M de MEL ou 10-9 M de MEL, 0,5 µg mL-1 de FSH e 5,0 µg mL-1 de LH, os ovócitos foram corados com Hoechst 33342 para avaliação da taxa de maturação nuclear. A fragmentação do DNA dos blastocistos foi avaliada pela técnica do Cometa. Não houve efeito da MEL adicionada ao meio de maturação, com ou sem gonadotrofinas, nas taxas de maturação nuclear, clivagem e blastocistos. Os percentuais variaram entre 88% a 90%, 85% a 88% e 42% a 46%, respectivamente. O grau de fragmentação do DNA também não foi afetado pela adição de MEL ao meio de maturação. A adição de 10-9 M de MEL ao meio de maturação não exerce influência nas taxas de maturação nuclear e de desenvolvimento embrionário e nem da incidência de fragmentação do DNA dos embriões produzidos in vitro, mas pode substituir as gonadotropinas durante a maturação in vitro.

Melatonin in maturation media fails to improve oocyte maturation, embryo development rates and DNA damage of bovine embryos

Melatonin (MEL) acts as a powerful scavenger of free radicals and direct gonadal responses to melatonin have been reported in the literature. Few studies, however, have evaluated the effect of MEL during in vitro maturation (IVM) on bovine embryos. This study tested the addition of MEL to maturation medium (MM) with no gonadotropins on nuclear maturation and embryo development rates and the incidence of DNA damage in resulting embryos. Cumulus-oocyte complexes were aspirated from abattoir ovaries and cultured in MM (TCM-199 medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum - FCS) at 39ºC and 5% CO2 in air. After 24 hours of culture in MM with 0.5 µg mL-1 FSH and 5.0 µg mL-1 LH; 10-9 M MEL) or 10-9 M MEL, 0.5 µg mL-1 FSH and 5.0 µg mL-1 LH, the oocytes were stained with Hoechst 33342 to evaluate nuclear maturation rate. After in vitro fertilization and embryo culture, development rates were evaluated and the blastocysts were assessed for DNA damage by Comet assay. There was no effect of melatonin added to the MM, alone or in combination with gonadotropins, on nuclear maturation, cleavage and blastocyst rates. These rates ranged between 88% to 90%, 85% to 88% and 42% to 46%, respectively. The extent of DNA damage in embryos was also not affected by MEL supplementation during IVM. The addition of 10-9 M MEL to the MM failed to improve nuclear maturation and embryo development rates and the incidence of DNA damage in resulting embryos, but was able to properly substitute for gonadotropins during IVM.

Melatonin (MEL) atua como um potente redutor de radicais livres. Efeito direto da MEL na função gonadal também foi observado. Existem poucos estudos relacionados ao efeito da MEL durante a maturação no desenvolvimento embrionário in vitro. Avaliou-se a adição de MEL no meio de maturação (sem gonadotrofinas) nas taxas de maturação nuclear e de desenvolvimento embrionário e na incidência de fragmentação do DNA nos embriões produzidos in vitro. Complexos cumulus-ovócitos foram aspirados de ovários provenientes de matadouros e cultivados em meio de maturação (Meio TCM-199 suplementado com 10% de soro fetal bovino) a 39ºC e 5% CO2 em ar. Após 24 horas de cultivo em meio de maturação com 0,5 µg mL-1 de FSH e 5,0 µg mL-1 de LH; 10-9 M de MEL ou 10-9 M de MEL, 0,5 µg mL-1 de FSH e 5,0 µg mL-1 de LH, os ovócitos foram corados com Hoechst 33342 para avaliação da taxa de maturação nuclear. A fragmentação do DNA dos blastocistos foi avaliada pela técnica do Cometa. Não houve efeito da MEL adicionada ao meio de maturação, com ou sem gonadotrofinas, nas taxas de maturação nuclear, clivagem e blastocistos. Os percentuais variaram entre 88% a 90%, 85% a 88% e 42% a 46%, respectivamente. O grau de fragmentação do DNA também não foi afetado pela adição de MEL ao meio de maturação. A adição de 10-9 M de MEL ao meio de maturação não exerce influência nas taxas de maturação nuclear e de desenvolvimento embrionário e nem da incidência de fragmentação do DNA dos embriões produzidos in vitro, mas pode substituir as gonadotropinas durante a maturação in vitro.

Sincronização do estro e da ovulação utilizando protocolos de curta duração durante a pré-estação reprodutiva em ovelhas Suffolk / Estrus and ovulation synchronization using short-term protocolsduring the previous reproductive season in Suffolk ewes

Este trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de estudar a eficácia do protocolo de curta duração de sincronização do estro. As ovelhas foram divididas em quatro grupos: Grupo Controle (esponjas de MAP por 12 dias, e eCG na retirada); Os Grupos I, II e III permaneceram com a esponja por quatro dias e na retirada foi aplicado 100 µg de PGF e adicionalmente: no Grupo I (0,1 mg de Benzoato de estradiol - BE na colocação da esponja e 48h após a retirada 50 µg de GnRH); Grupo II (35 mg de progesterona injetável e 0,1 mg de BE na colocação da esponja e na retirada 400 UI de eCG e 50 µg de GnRH 48h após); Grupo III (35 mg de progesterona injetável e 0,2 mg de BE na colocação da esponja e na retirada 400 UI de eCG e 50 µg de GnRH 56h após). Foram feitos exames de ultrassom, dosagens de progesterona, e observações do início do estro e da ovulação. A falta do eCG no Grupo I fez com que esse protocolo fosse menos eficaz na indução e sincronização do estro e ovulação. O Grupo Controle teve maior sincronia do estro e da ovulação.(AU)

This study was carried out with the objective of examining the effect of the short-term estrus synchronization protocol. Ewes were divided in four groups: Control Group (MAP sponges for 12 days, and eCG at withdrawal); Groups I, II and III used the sponge for four days, and 100 µg of PGF was applied at withdrawal; and additionally, Group I (0.1 mg of Estradiol benzoate - EB, in the sponge placement, and in the withdrawn 400 UI of eCG and 50 µg of GnRH 48h later); Group II (35 mg of injectable progesterone and 0.1 mg of EB in the sponge placement, and 400 UI of eCG at withdrawal, and 50 µg of GnRH 48h after); Group III (35 mg of injectable progesterone and 0.2 mg of EB in the sponge placement, and 400 UI of eCG at withdrawal, and 50 µg of GnRH 56h after). Exams were accomplished for ultrasound and determine the plasmatic concentrations of progesterone and observations of the beginning the estrus and the ovulation. The lack of eCG in Group I caused this protocol to be less efficacious in induction and synchronization of estrus and ovulation. The Control Group had a greater synchronization of estrus and ovulation.(AU)

Sincronização do estro e da ovulação utilizando protocolos de curta duração durante a pré-estação reprodutiva em ovelhas Suffolk / Estrus and ovulation synchronization using short-term protocolsduring the previous reproductive season in Suffolk ewes

Este trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de estudar a eficácia do protocolo de curta duração de sincronização do estro. As ovelhas foram divididas em quatro grupos: Grupo Controle (esponjas de MAP por 12 dias, e eCG na retirada); Os Grupos I, II e III permaneceram com a esponja por quatro dias e na retirada foi aplicado 100 µg de PGF e adicionalmente: no Grupo I (0,1 mg de Benzoato de estradiol - BE na colocação da esponja e 48h após a retirada 50 µg de GnRH); Grupo II (35 mg de progesterona injetável e 0,1 mg de BE na colocação da esponja e na retirada 400 UI de eCG e 50 µg de GnRH 48h após); Grupo III (35 mg de progesterona injetável e 0,2 mg de BE na colocação da esponja e na retirada 400 UI de eCG e 50 µg de GnRH 56h após). Foram feitos exames de ultrassom, dosagens de progesterona, e observações do início do estro e da ovulação. A falta do eCG no Grupo I fez com que esse protocolo fosse menos eficaz na indução e sincronização do estro e ovulação. O Grupo Controle teve maior sincronia do estro e da ovulação.

This study was carried out with the objective of examining the effect of the short-term estrus synchronization protocol. Ewes were divided in four groups: Control Group (MAP sponges for 12 days, and eCG at withdrawal); Groups I, II and III used the sponge for four days, and 100 µg of PGF was applied at withdrawal; and additionally, Group I (0.1 mg of Estradiol benzoate - EB, in the sponge placement, and in the withdrawn 400 UI of eCG and 50 µg of GnRH 48h later); Group II (35 mg of injectable progesterone and 0.1 mg of EB in the sponge placement, and 400 UI of eCG at withdrawal, and 50 µg of GnRH 48h after); Group III (35 mg of injectable progesterone and 0.2 mg of EB in the sponge placement, and 400 UI of eCG at withdrawal, and 50 µg of GnRH 56h after). Exams were accomplished for ultrasound and determine the plasmatic concentrations of progesterone and observations of the beginning the estrus and the ovulation. The lack of eCG in Group I caused this protocol to be less efficacious in induction and synchronization of estrus and ovulation. The Control Group had a greater synchronization of estrus and ovulation.

Estrus and ovulation synchronization using short-term protocols during the previous reproductive season in Suffolk ewes - DOI: 10.4025/actascianimsci.v31i4.6938 / Sincronização do estro e da ovulação utilizando protocolos de curta duração durante a pré-estação reprodutiva em ovelhas Suffolk - DOI: 10.4025/actascianimsci.v31i4.6938

This study was carried out with the objective of examining the effect of the short-term estrus synchronization protocol. Ewes were divided in four groups: Control Group (MAP sponges for 12 days, and eCG at withdrawal); Groups I, II and III used the sponge for four days, and 100 µg of PGF was applied at withdrawal; and additionally, Group I (0.1 mg of Estradiol benzoate - EB, in the sponge placement, and in the withdrawn 400 UI of eCG and 50 µg of GnRH 48h later); Group II (35 mg of injectable progesterone and 0.1 mg of EB in the sponge placement, and 400 UI of eCG at withdrawal, and 50 µg of GnRH 48h after); Group III (35 mg of injectable progesterone and 0.2 mg of EB in the sponge placement, and 400 UI of eCG at withdrawal, and 50 µg of GnRH 56h after). Exams were accomplished for ultrasound and determine the plasmatic concentrations of progesterone and observations of the beginning the estrus and the ovulation. The lack of eCG in Group I caused this protocol to be less efficacious in induction and synchronization of estrus and ovulation. The Control Group had a greater synchronization of estrus and ovulation.

Este trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de estudar a eficácia do protocolo de curta duração de sincronização do estro. As ovelhas foram divididas em quatro grupos: Grupo Controle (esponjas de MAP por 12 dias, e eCG na retirada); Os Grupos I, II e III permaneceram com a esponja por quatro dias e na retirada foi aplicado 100 µg de PGF e adicionalmente: no Grupo I (0,1 mg de Benzoato de estradiol - BE na colocação da esponja e 48h após a retirada 50 µg de GnRH); Grupo II (35 mg de progesterona injetável e 0,1 mg de BE na colocação da esponja e na retirada 400 UI de eCG e 50 µg de GnRH 48h após); Grupo III (35 mg de progesterona injetável e 0,2 mg de BE na colocação da esponja e na retirada 400 UI de eCG e 50 µg de GnRH 56h após). Foram feitos exames de ultrassom, dosagens de progesterona, e observações do início do estro e da ovulação. A falta do eCG no Grupo I fez com que esse protocolo fosse menos eficaz na indução e sincronização do estro e ovulação. O Grupo Controle teve maior sincronia do estro e da ovulação.

Estrus and ovulation synchronization using short-term protocols during the previous reproductive season in Suffolk ewes - DOI: 10.4025/actascianimsci.v31i4.6938 / Sincronização do estro e da ovulação utilizando protocolos de curta duração durante a pré-estação reprodutiva em ovelhas Suffolk - DOI: 10.4025/actascianimsci.v31i4.6938

This study was carried out with the objective of examining the effect of the short-term estrus synchronization protocol. Ewes were divided in four groups: Control Group (MAP sponges for 12 days, and eCG at withdrawal); Groups I, II and III used the sponge for four days, and 100 µg of PGF was applied at withdrawal; and additionally, Group I (0.1 mg of Estradiol benzoate - EB, in the sponge placement, and in the withdrawn 400 UI of eCG and 50 µg of GnRH 48h later); Group II (35 mg of injectable progesterone and 0.1 mg of EB in the sponge placement, and 400 UI of eCG at withdrawal, and 50 µg of GnRH 48h after); Group III (35 mg of injectable progesterone and 0.2 mg of EB in the sponge placement, and 400 UI of eCG at withdrawal, and 50 µg of GnRH 56h after). Exams were accomplished for ultrasound and determine the plasmatic concentrations of progesterone and observations of the beginning the estrus and the ovulation. The lack of eCG in Group I caused this protocol to be less efficacious in induction and synchronization of estrus and ovulation. The Control Group had a greater synchronization of estrus and ovulation.

Este trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de estudar a eficácia do protocolo de curta duração de sincronização do estro. As ovelhas foram divididas em quatro grupos: Grupo Controle (esponjas de MAP por 12 dias, e eCG na retirada); Os Grupos I, II e III permaneceram com a esponja por quatro dias e na retirada foi aplicado 100 µg de PGF e adicionalmente: no Grupo I (0,1 mg de Benzoato de estradiol - BE na colocação da esponja e 48h após a retirada 50 µg de GnRH); Grupo II (35 mg de progesterona injetável e 0,1 mg de BE na colocação da esponja e na retirada 400 UI de eCG e 50 µg de GnRH 48h após); Grupo III (35 mg de progesterona injetável e 0,2 mg de BE na colocação da esponja e na retirada 400 UI de eCG e 50 µg de GnRH 56h após). Foram feitos exames de ultrassom, dosagens de progesterona, e observações do início do estro e da ovulação. A falta do eCG no Grupo I fez com que esse protocolo fosse menos eficaz na indução e sincronização do estro e ovulação. O Grupo Controle teve maior sincronia do estro e da ovulação.